Winning Odds Trilogy
Page 126
“Come on, Bo-T,” Ben said.
“Think of all those mares,” George said. “Come on, Bo-T!”
“With an eighth of a mile left to go, it is Beau Together and Crimson Count, a two horse race out in front by two. Hathaway Tam is now third.”
“Come, Bo-T. Come Bo-T,” Miguel said, slapping his leg with the racing form. “Come, Bo-T!”
“Come on, Bo-T!” Junior yelled, leaning over the fence. “Come on, Bo-T!”
“Beau Together, Count Crimson! Beau Together by a nose, by a head!”
“Come on, Bo-T,” Randy said. “Come on! Win it big!!”
“It’s Beau Together by a neck. Crimson Count is running second. Hathaway Tam is third, followed by Dunkirk Dave, Rapid Essential, Neighbor Newton and Top Banjo!”
Dawn held her breath, gripped Ben’s shoulder hard.
“It’s Beau Together by half a length!”
“Come on, Bo-T,” the crowd yelled.
“Come on, Bo-T!”
“Come on, Big Man,” Junior said.”Come on, Big Man! We’re gonna be daddies!!”
“At the wire, maintaining his lead is Beau Together! Bo-T in complete command!”
Dawn flashed back to the day Bo-T broke his maiden, the day Ben said without a doubt in the world, “He’s going to be a champion!”
“He’s going to make you proud, Ben,” Johnny had said. “He’s going to make you proud.”
“Ladies and gentlemen. It’s not often history repeats itself. There is a new track record for the mile. Beau Together, track record holder for 6 ½ furlongs has just broken the track record for the mile by one-fifth of a second. Crimson Count equaled the track record. May we see their offspring for many years to come here at Nottingham Downs!”
Tom helped Johnny pull up Bo-T, congratulated the jockey, and patted the horse on the neck. “They be standing in line now, Big Man! You can dream fillies and mares tonight.” Both Johnny and Tom congratulated Ramone Diaz, the jockey on Crimson Count and the two pony boys led the horses back to the grandstand, side by side.
The crowd was on their feet, cheering. Next to the Ohio Derby, this was the biggest race of the year at Nottingham Downs.
Dawn waved to Wendy and Richard, waved to Randy and Mark. Tom dismounted Red and led Bo-T and Johnny into the winner’s circle. Everyone took their places for the win picture. The photographer snapped the photo, the sun shining bright, the horse gleaming with sweat and wide-eyed.
“Wait,” Tom said. “Snap another one.” He clicked to Red, who stepped into the winner’s circle and sidled up next to Bo-T. Everyone in the winner’s circle knew what this meant. It was pride in the pony horse’s job all these years, a good-bye of sorts to Bo-T. “Well done,” Tom said to both horses. “Well done.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, the fifteenth running of the Burgundy Blue Stake is official. Beau Together, Bo-T, retired as of this moment in history is in the winner’s circle. The Burgundy Blue Stakes winner! Let’s hear it for Bo-T! Let’s hear it for his pony, Red!”
Wendy wiped her eyes.
Tom mounted right at that moment and waved as he and Red led Bo-T out of the winner’s circle to the roar of the crowd. Dawn walked along with George and Glenda behind the two horses, the three of them all smiles. Dusty and Cracker Jack walked with Ben and Johnny toward the jocks’ room.
“He win easy, Ben,” Johnny said. “Running off the farm agrees with him. You sure you want to retire him?”
Ben smiled. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” A reporter stood up ahead with a cameraman. Ben patted Johnny on the back and walked on.
“Mr. Miller?”
Ben stopped. Dusty and Cracker Jack at his side.
“If I might get a quote?”
“Well,” Ben said, scratching his head and thinking for a moment. “I just got a great ride and I’ve had a great ride. I’ve had a great life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not done yet. We have babies at the farm. We have a good meal waiting for us with friends and family at home. I’m a lucky man.”
“I’ll say,” Bill Maxwell said, walking with his jockey. He shook Ben’s hand. “Congratulations!”
“You too,” Ben said. “Your horse run big.” He motioned for the reporter to talk with Bill and he and Dusty and Cracker Jack walked on. “I’ll see you back at the barn.”
~ * ~
The celebration dinner at T-Bone’s Place was a jovial affair. They all sat eating Miguel’s chili seasoned and simmered to perfection along with buttered chunks of Jeanne’s Johnnycake bread, all looking forward to Mim’s blackberry pie al a mode.
There was so much to talk about, so much to celebrate. Bo-T’s win, his retirement, his future as a sire. “Today reminded me of the day he broke his maiden,” Dawn said. “That was the day I think I decided to….”
“Commit yourself?” Ben said.
Dawn smiled. “Yes. Good word. At times, I’ve felt like I should be committed.”
Everyone laughed. Some were seated at the table, some in the living room. The dogs were keeping vigil outside the screen door on the front porch.
“What you do with him now?” Miguel asked.
“Well,” Ben said. “We’ll bring him home tomorrow and in a couple of days start getting him used to pasture again.”
“So he stay here?”
“Till breeding season. Then he’ll be back. That’s the way I set it up.”
Dawn smiled. She liked that arrangement. “What about breeding one of the mares to Crimson Count?” Batgirl, Whinny, and Wee Born were all going to be six this coming year.
“We’ll see,” Ben said. He already had a stallion picked out for Whinny. “Maybe Wee Born.”
“What about B-Bo?” Steven asked. “Will he go in to the track tomorrow?”
“No,” Ben said, glancing at Randy. “I think I’m going to give him a little more time here. I just may run him off the farm,” he said, thinking about the old-timers and how much they enjoyed watching the horses gallop. “It sure worked like a charm for Bo-T.” They all smiled. “Not to mention the two-year olds. They’ll be starting up soon.”
Junior nodded, as did Tom and George. This was about the time of year they started getting the two-year olds used to being under saddle and depending on the horses’ knees, start light training. “There will be lots going on here. Which reminds me,” Ben said. “I think I’m going to sleep in tomorrow.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Seriously,” he said. “That’s if I can. Old habits are hard to break.”
“You’re not coming to the track?” Tom asked.
“Nope. Not tomorrow. The horses all walk. There’s no one to enter. I’m going to take it easy for a day. I’m looking forward to it.”
Matthew unveiled his drawing of Bo-T after dinner. “Hillary came by to visit,” he said. “She says I captured his thoughts.” He looked at Mim. “Mim says I captured his eyes and his heart. I still have a little more to do on B-Bo’s.”
He’d captured it all, the beauty of a Thoroughbred racehorse galloping, proud, happy, strong, living in the moment and yet seeing into the future, a lifetime. Bo-T. A champion.
From far off in the starry distance, one could see T-Bone’s Place lit up in the night. They could hear the sounds of laughter. A refuge: a place to lay one’s head in the final years surrounded by friends and family. Look closer and you can see Lucy press her hand gently against the movement of her unborn child. Listen carefully and you can almost hear whispers of the hopes and dreams of everyone at Meg’s Meadows. It is a welcome place. It’s home.
~ * ~
Two weeks after the Burgundy Blue, Mim passed away. Vicky walked out onto the back porch and saw her sitting on her golf cart by the main pasture watching the horses graze as she’d done so many times. When she turned to go back inside, she noticed Mim’s cane leaning against the porch.
She looked at Mim again and pressed her hand to her heart. “Oh, Mim, you knew,” she said, tears of sadness mixing with tears of happin
ess welling up in her eyes. “You knew.”
No one dressed in black. They wore the bright colors of the rainbow. They cried. They laughed. They remembered. Mim’s golf cart remains in the same spot to this day, her ashes spread all around and flowers planted everywhere. It is a living memorial to one of the greatest horsewomen that ever lived.
May You Rest in Peace, Mim
May You Rest in Peace
We hope you have enjoyed the first three books in the Winning Odds Series. Watch for Book Four in May 2014!
Ben is alive and well!